The Pretty Substitute's Secret
by blackSMILES
Summary: [AU] Content with just being famous actress Ino's hidden stand in for steamy scenes, Haruno Sakura was prepared to live life peacefully until Neji, Gaara and Sasuke found out her secret. [High School Fic] [REWRITTEN!]
1. Prologue

**Title: The Pretty Substitute's Secret**

**Author: BlackSMILES**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I own the plot of this fic!

I am rewriting this in hope of improving the plot of the story. I like this story quite a lot so I want it to be more complex and deep and better. Watch me try. :)

**Prologue**

The cinema was buzzing with excited mutterings and huddled whisperings from the audience. Haruno Sakura scanned the dimmed cinema with her brilliant emerald orbs. The movie theater was filled with no empty seats. "As expected from the famous Yamanaka Ino," she muttered inaudibly.

Glancing at her ticket, Sakura walked into the dark room and found her seat easily. Slowly, she smoothed down her dress and settled down into a velvet red seat. The cinema dimmed completely, a sign that the movie would be starting soon.

Sakura was looking forward to the premiere of this movie. "Summer Holidays" was Ino's debut chick flick with a sensual scene, an indication to the entertainment world that Ino was no longer a child actress, but a full-fledged mature one. That movie was also Sakura's debut, her first job taken as Ino's stand-in for racy scenes.

The movie was running smoothly with a few giggles and 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the audiences. Sakura smiled. The climax would be coming soon. A rendezvous with a handsome young heir in the onsen of his Japanese ryokan, that was the scene Sakura had to act out.

The scene came quickly. Sakura stared at the large screen in front of her. The blonde woman in it was branding fiery kisses on another man's neck. Her creamy shoulders were exposed and steam from the hot spring made her back damp, sticking strands of blonde hair seductively across her bare back. The man kissed back with equal passion.

"The famous Yamanaka Ino! Looking at her made me aroused already. She did mature very well. If only I could get a chick like her," the man sitting beside Sakura whispered, the lust in his voice evident. Sakura did not bother to suppress the frown that was instantly etched on her face after the middle aged man made that lewd comment. She was in a pitch-dark cinema. No one could see her anyway. She glanced sideways to the potbellied male beside her and grimaced.

She was relieved that the man would never know the 'Ino' he was fantasizing about was actually her.

The credits started rolling and Haruno Sakura did not even bother looking for her name. To everyone else, Ino was a great actress who always did her own scenes like a professional. Ino was great. Ino was sexy. It was always about Ino. No stand-ins, Ino and her manager claimed.

Yeah, right.

_Yamanaka Ino, a young star who was rapidly rising in the entertainment industry, was also the dream woman of every male who produces testosterone. Ino was someone Sakura could never reach. Sakura was just a mere stand-in for Ino, someone who did Ino's steamy scenes. She was nobody. _

Everyone left the cinema soon after the credits were shown and went to the outdoor reception that was prepared for them. Waiters and waitresses decked in smart uniforms were hoisting trays of various wines, miniature cakes and prawn cocktails.

Sakura glanced at everyone who was at the premiere. As expected, everyone was dressed to the nines. The females were in branded frocks and the men were in tuxedos and matching ties. She glanced at her own dress which was picked up at a second-hand store. She decided she could not fit in well in this whole glitz and glam business. The next time when the director of any movie offers her a ticket, she would not accept it.

Trying to look as relaxed and casual as possible, Sakura swiped a prawn cocktail from a impassive waitress and munched on one of the prawns as delicately as possible. She was enjoying the food. It was of higher quality than whatever she ate usually.

Walking on and reveling at the number of famous faces present, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Ino was right in front of her. Should she say something? Like why was she here? She had not talked to Yamanaka Ino before. Maybe Ino had no interest in knowing someone like her.

Right then, Ino was talking to three men who were about the same age as Sakura. Sakura recognized them all.They often graced the covers of top female magazines with their alluring looks and perfect toned bodies.

The first one was a red head with a tattoo of kanji 'love' inked on the side of his forehead. He had striking seafoam eyes and one could easily say he was handsome. Sabaku Gaara, son of the actor who was a famous middle-aged actor. His father was fondly known as 'Kazekage', a role in a shinobi movie which made him famous. Gaara was a budding actor, striving to surpass his father.

The second one was Hyuuga Neji. He was equally attractive as Gaara with his pearl-colored eyes, smooth long coffee-colored hair and taut muscular chest which rippled underneath his suit. He was someone not related to the entertainment industry. Sakura knew that he was a heir to a kendo dojo from the newspapers. Neji was famous for being one of Japan's representatives for kendo.

The third one was probably the most striking of them all. He wasUchiha Sasuke. He had navy blue hair and onyx bedroom eyes which could make every woman in the world fall in love with him. He had a broad frame and narrow hips, and his suit made him look good enough to eat. He was the second heir to the Uchiha Entertainment Corporation, which was the biggest entertainment company in Japan. He was also Yamanaka Ino's current boyfriend, or so the paparazzi claimed.

"Eligible rich men with a beautiful woman," Sakura thought to herself. She would not want any similar amount of attention Ino got. Sakura was terribly shy when it came to boys and matters of the heart.

Her heart almost stopped when she saw Ino catch her eyes. Her heart started beating really fast when Ino begun striding to her. What? Ino was going to talk to someone like her? Why? She could do nothing to Ino's career. She might even endanger it. The worse thing was that the three men were also walking towards her. Sakura wanted to hide somewhere, or run away. "Don't come near me," Sakura chanted inwardly as she grimaced when she saw Ino's bright smile her way.

Her discomfort was replaced by a slight disappointment when Ino reached for the prawn cocktail from the same waitress she had encountered before near her. Ino ignored Sakura completely, like she was a stranger.

Sakura sighed in relief. She could not stay disappointed at Ino. She was wearing a blonde wig which concealed her roseate hair and blue contact lenses which covered her emerald orbs when she saw Ino that day to begin her first job as Ino's stand-in. It was no wonder that Ino did not recognize her. The men with Ino ignored Sakura too, adding on her relief. She thought the men would have seen many other girls like her because of their status in this society.

Smiling faintly at everyone she passed, Sakura left the reception and walked briskly to the entrance of the cineplex. It was time to leave. There was no meaning for someone like her to stay. There was no praises for someone like her. She hailed a cab easily and boarded it. Looking out of the cab window, she saw the same potbellied man beside her in the cinema talking to Ino. Ino was all smiles from the praises the man heaped on her. She was practically glowing with pleasure.

Sakura was not complaining that she did not receive credit for her performance. In fact, she was quite content with it. The job as Ino's stand-in paid well enough for the room she rented and for living. That was enough and Sakura was content.

She was not someone who hankered for fame, glory and too much riches, Sakura often told herself. It was not quite possible for someone like her to climb high in the social ladder too. She concluded that it would be best if she did not even have the desire to be famous.

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Haruno Sakura, an average eighteen year old girl to most, other than the fact that she was an orphan. Her parents died in a tragic car accident a decade ago. Her paternal uncle and aunt support her by sending a small amount of money to her bank account monthly. Currently, she was working as Ino's stand-in (absolute secret!) and living in a small rented room in a middle-sized living complex. 

She received a scholarship for her to study in the most prestigious school in the city she lived in, Konoha. Konoha Gakuen was a school different from the rest. It was a school for teenagers from prestigious families. Sakura knew she would definitely be an outcast, but it was the best school in the city and she wanted the best for herself.

She also knew Yamanaka Ino studied in Konoha Gakuen. It was nothing particularly of concern to Sakura because she already planned to stay in the school as a low profile student and pass the years in school quietly.

"Hurry up! Sakura-chan! You'll be late for school soon!" The landlady hollered from her apartment downstairs. Sakura stayed on the second floor of the complex. The thin and poorly made walls of the aged complex made sounds travel easily through them.

Sakura opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling above her blearily. It was mere seconds later Sakura widened her eyes and sat straight up on her futon.

"GAH! I will be late for the first day of school!" Sakura screamed as she hurriedly got up from her bed, and zoomed into the bathroom, brushing her teeth, combing her hair and changing to her new school uniform.

Her new school uniform had a shirt that was white in color and had a navy blue collar. There was a little red bow in front of the shirt.. The skirt was pleated and had the same color as the collar of the shirt. Sakura did not buy blazer of the school uniform because she could not afford to.

Springtime was cold in Japan. Sakura threw on a white and furry bomber jacket and looked at herself in the mirror. She put on a pair of black-rimmed glasses, hiding her green orbs. She had no money to buy contact lens anyway.

"Go! Sakura-chan!" She told herself, smiling broadly. Konoha Gakuen would be great… right?

Sakura ran down the stairs and wore the designated black shoes for school. The landlady stopped her before she could dash off to school.

"Sakura-chan! There's a treat for you! Only for today" The landlady winked and passed Sakura a bento box filled with her lunch.

"Thank you so much!" Sakura smiled brightly and bowed deeply to show her appreciation before rushing to school on her trusty five-year old bicycle.

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Taking a deep breath, Sakura stepped into the school entrance, a little intimidated by the imposing iron school gates decorated with steel roses. She gasped as her bespectacled eyes surveyed the school environment. 

Konoha Gakuen was indeed different from other high schools. It was breathtakingly luxurious. The school buildings were made of glass, marble and brand new red bricks which could only be designed by famous world-class architects. An old fountain at the entrance of the school had little weathered angels carved onto the rich marble, adding on to the grandeur of the school. Shiny black limousines dropped students carrying Prada and Gucci bags off the entrance.

Sakura glanced down at the old bicycle just beside her. How she envied those students, born with a silver spoon in their mouths!

Nervously, Sakura smoothed her skirt and checked her shirt for creases when she stood ouside the principal's office. Carefully, she knocked on the door and opened it to let herself in. The room was high-ceilinged with full-length translucent windows at its side, letting the morning sun rays into the room

"Good morning, Principal. I am Haruno Sakura, scholarship recipient attending this school for the first day." Sakura bowed deeply in respect when she entered. First impressions count a lot, especially if she was someone 'poor', as what most students in school might deem her as.

When she looked up, she saw a scene that was totally unprepared for. A drunk principal. Early in a morning.

"Good morning-hic-g. I –hic- am –hic- Tsunade. I'll ask –hic- my student–hic- leader to show you –hic- around. You are in the same –hic- class as him," Tsuande slurred as her head fell onto the table.

"Eh?" Sakura squeaked, as she stood rooted to the ground. What just happened?

A sharp rapping on the door made Sakura turn her head. A handsome boy with a practiced smile plastered on his face entered the room and strode towards Sakura with much grace.

"Sai," the male took her hand and kissed it.

"Eh?!" Sakura retracted her hand quickly and blushed. What just happened again?

"I am the leader of the student body. Welcome to Konoha Gakuen, scholarship student. I should explain. Konoha Gakuen is made in a way only students from higher-class families could afford to enter this school. However if you are a studious commoner, it is possible for you to enter," Sai explained, smiling all the time although his words dripped with sarcasm.

Sakura's eyes narrowed a little when she got what he was trying to hint at.

_You are not welcomed here, studious nerd._

She did not like the school already.

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A/N: I did not change a lot of things. :/ Just added some stuff. BUT it's longer than the previous prologue by 500 words. It's long enough, I guess. 


	2. Chapter 1: Instant Enemies

**Title: The Pretty Substitute's Secret**

**Author: BlackSMILES**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I own the plot of this fic!

A big 'thank you' to all who reviewed: rexroy101, fluffy-rakia, Ribs On The Run, Unlucky-amulet, Sakura12, kirei31, Add Choclolatebunny, Bells-n-Akira

In response to Unluckyamulet, I do think emerald orbs is kinda cliché too. Maybe I will find something new to use. :)

And to rexroy101, I did not use 'hate' because Sakura did not feel that strongly against the school… yet? Wahahaha.

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Chapter One- Instant Enemies 

Walking alongside with an indifferent male who made no effort to start a conversation proved to be hard and awkward for Sakura. The sounds of their footsteps echoed throughout the large school hallway. It was too quiet for a school. The silence was deafening and Sakura was desperate to break it. She shot an uncertain glance at Sai.

"Erm… Where are the students?" Sakura asked timidly.

Sai shot her a smile which made her spine chill a little and replied in a 'duh' tone, "They are having lessons."

Sakura frowned a little. Sai seemed hypocritical and it made her feel a little pissed off. She felt like shooting a rude 'you don't have to accompany me if you think I am not worth of your time'. She flinched a little when the bento box the landlady gave her this morning hit slightly on her knee. Sai did not even bother not to help her carry the heavy bulky box. Asshole.

The walking duo settled back into an uncomfortable silence. Maybe Sakura was the only one who felt self-conscious and ill at ease. Sai just looked disinterested. He did not even show her around the large citadel of a school properly. He merely pointed at the signposts situated at certain parts of the school and told her where the important places were without bringing her there.

She was not paying attention to Sai already.

A sharp bell rang suddenly, startling Sakura.

Sai moved on. "It's lunch time now," he muttered, the insincere smile still plastered on his face.

"This is the canteen where we have lunch," Sai stated monotonously as Sakura followed closely behind him like an insecure sheep. Stepping onto the marble floor of the ridiculously palatial 'canteen' that resembled a posh restaurant in a world famous hotel, Sakura could only gape stupidly.

Choosing to ignore the not-so-obvious "country bumpkin" smiling Sai managed to cough out, Sakura walked into the grand place, registering the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the smooth round tables made from high quality timber and covered with delicate Chinese silk, Sakura was truly amazed.

Sakura weaved through the lunching students with little difficulty, putting her lithe form to use.

"Japanese Cuisine, French Cuisine, American Cuisine, Hong Kong Dim Sum…" Sakura muttered while looking at the stalls in the lunchroom, licking her lips involuntarily at the variety of food.

Her eyes widened considerably when they landed on the menu of a stall, right on its marble counter decorated with crimson roses in their expensive porcelain vases. "What? Teriyaki Chicken Don for 1000 Ryo? That's daylight robbery! It's only chicken and rice!" Sakura screeched, gaining unwanted attention from the diners in the room.

She could hear Sai cluck his tongue smugly behind her. "I told you this is a school for privileged people who belong to the higher class." He said, much to Sakura's annoyance. He continued speaking when he failed to obtain a sharp and smart rebuttal from the scholarship girl. He was not expecting much from her anyway. "You may have your lunch here and go straight to class later. Your class is 2-A. I trust that you brought your own food?" He said, staring openly at her old-fashioned bento box.

The nerve of that impolite and arrogant student leader! How dare he demean the treasured lunch the motherly landlady prepared solely for her. Her face scrunched up with suppressed anger and frustration from staying with him and she turned to her back to scream at him. Heck if he was a student leader in the school! He was a lousy one!

She turned her head frantically to look for the lanky pale teenager with her moments ago.

"Sai-san?" She enquired aloud, walking around the vast lunchroom aimlessly. Strangers around her did not look at her or do anything to acknowledge her. It was as if she was invisible. It made her feel out of place, like she did not belong. The school felt so cold and unfeeling. Who cared about insignificant people like her anyway? Could she enjoy her school years here?

Giving up looking for Sai, she searched the canteen for an empty table. Bringing her bento box up to her chest and carrying it with both hands, Sakura made her way to one nearest to her. She sighed. Eating lunch alone was making her feel lonely and depressed. Would she remain like that for the next few years?

She was deep in her thoughts when she came in contact with something hard roughly. Her grip on the lacquered bento box slackened and its contents fell out of the box onto that someone who rammed into her.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" Sakura snapped out of her thoughts immediately, shocked at her carelessness. She looked in front at the school uniform in front of her. The whiteness of the school shirt was stained by the brown Japanese sweet curry and dotted by sticky white rice.

"What the fuck?" A cold baritone voice snarled and Sakura's vision moved up to see the boy she has just knocked into. Her olive eyes which were framed by black rimmed glasses widened when she saw the bearer of the voice.

_Shoot._ **Shoot.** _**SHOOT!**_

A pair of flaming seafoam eyes glowered at her and a harsh crimson tattoo in kanji 'love' at the side of the bristling male's forehead made Sakura's mind ring with recognition. She knocked into Sabaku Gaara! OH, how brilliant. He was one of the most prominent figures in high class society. Definitely a big shot in this school. Sakura cowered beneath his fierce glare.

"What the fuck is this shit-like thing on my shirt? Do you eat dung for lunch?" Gaara snapped at the petite girl in front of him. She was already shaking with unconcealed fear and her nerdy face was contorted with a reddening nose and watery beady eyes. He smirked inwardly, satisfied with her display of weakness.

Before Gaara could grab Sakura's shirt by the collar, Sakura bent down hurriedly, picked up the fallen bento box without the food and ran out of the canteen as fast as she could like a scared squirrel. Gaara stood frozen, stunned, while watching the girl escape his clutches. Moments later, he clenched his fist and roared, "Damn! I will not forgive you! No one escapes from me and you are no exception! You bitch!"

Sakura ran and ran faster after hearing Gaara's bellow from the canteen. What would happen to her if she did not run away? Damn. Something like this had to happen to her on the first day of school. The lunch she was anticipating was wasted and she angered someone who might ruin her peaceful life in school. Sighing heavily, she dragged her feet to her classroom by reading off the signposts in school when the bells signaling the end of lunch rang.

She stacked the lunchbox neatly and carried it in her hands, earning a lot of whisperings and glances from the students. What the heck? Did the news about her and Gaara spread that fast? It could be confirmed now that Gaara was someone not to be trifled with in this school.

"Class 2-A," Sakura mumbled when she reached the door of her classroom. Lugging her heavy bento box and her black plain haversack around the school grounds made her tired, Sakura felt relieved at the sight of rest.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura pushed the door open with a free hand. The whole class stared at the intruder, including the teacher.

After stoning for about five seconds, the teacher scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. Actually, Sakura was not even sure he was smiling. He had a gray mask that covered most of his face. Sakura grinned back uneasily.

"Ah… Haruno Sakura, you must be the new student. I am Hatake Kakashi, your homeroom teacher. You may call me Kakashi-sensei. Please introduce yourself to your friendly classmates," the man in front of her said and pushed her to the front of the class.

Sakura stared at the 'friendly' classmates in front of her. They stared back with silent hostility. She laughed uneasily and said, "Er… hi! I am Haruno Sakura…" Sakura drifted away and glanced at her new teacher.

She was worst at things like this!

Kakashi shrugged and did not press her to say anymore.

"Please take care of me," she said and bowed, all for the cause of being polite.

Kakashi gestured to the two row of the class, right at the side. "Why don't you sit next to Yamanaka? There's a seat there."

Sakura's head turned sharply and she felt her breath quicken. There was Ino, sitting like a goddess with smooth platinum hair and crystal-clear blue eyes.

Sakura wanted to refuse Kakashi. She did not want to sit next to Ino. In work, she was Ino's shadow, hiding behind Ino's name. In school, she did not want the same thing. She wanted to be free of Ino.

Steeling herself, she said in her most nerdy and as-a-matter-of-fact tone, "No thank you. I don't wish to ruin my studies by sitting close to someone who stirs so much attention that distracts me." She could almost feel her face flush from telling that lie.

Murmurs and angry whispers attacked Sakura's ears after she stopped talking. She could hear the vague 'who-does-she-think-she-is' echoing off the walls of the classroom. She stole a glance at Ino and looked down when she saw Ino shooting a slight frown her way. Uh-oh, she said something wrong.

Kakashi-sensei sent a look at the classroom which shut most students up. He then glanced at Sakura again. "As expected from a scholarship recipient… Your studies are most important to you, eh?" He asked lightly, an unobvious smile reaching his only uncovered eye. Sakura smiled back slightly and nodded.

"Let's put you beside Hinata-chan then. She's a good kid, a little quiet though. Hinata-chan, put your hand up for Sakura-chan," Kakashi said, his eye on a small girl with pretty pearl-coloured eyes. That girl blushed and put up her hand timidly for Sakura to see her.

Sakura made her way to her new partner, avoiding the unfriendly looks from everyone else. Hinata sat in the fourth row. She noticed a seat empty beside her, but its table was stacked with various textbooks and a pencil case. Someone else was sitting beside her too. More whispering and talking erupted from the students. "What's wrong?" Sakura wondered, worried. Whatever that got them agitated, she was sure it must be nothing good.

She turned to her left to talk to the girl sitting beside her. "Hey, Hinata-chan. I am Sakura," she said, smiling broadly, putting out her right hand. Hinata stared oddly at the outstretched hand and smiled slightly, taking the hand with her own. "Pl-pleased t-to me-meet you, Sa-sakura-chan," Hinata stuttered, her cute smile still gracing her pink lips. Sakura thought Hinata was really cute and she liked her. Finally she had a friend.

"Err.. T-That's my cousin i-in front of me. He's N-Neji," Hinata continued and gestured to the boy in front of her. That said boy turned around and looked at Sakura briefly from top to bottom. Of course, Sakura had seen him before and knew his name. She still smiled and stretched her hand out like what she did to Hinata. She was merely being polite.

Neji frowned at her hand and looked as if it was something dirty. "You are not in my league, nerd," He said, earning satisfied murmuring from the classmates near them.

Scowling, she turned away from him noiselessly. It was mutual dislike at first sight. Her gaze landed on another familiar face. Uchiha Sasuke, sitting on his chair and looking like a Greek god with his pale skin and soulful black eyes. Yamanaka Ino's 'boyfriend'. Sakura could only stare. "Woah… I am in the same class as these big shots. What eye candy," Sakura gushed inwardly.

"You are not in his league too," Neji's voice rang out. Her olive eyes turned back to the boy. Neji was smirking like he had a victory. Sakura concluded Neji was someone with a horrible personality and loathed him.

She wanted to call him an 'arrogant bastard' but was stopped by her only friend in Konoha Gakuen. "Sa-sakura-chan," Hinata's tiny voice called out to her. Sakura tore her glare from Neji and turned to face Hinata. Hinata edged closer to Sakura and whispered, her voice trembling slightly, "Don't bother Neji nii-san, Sassu-uke-san and Gaa-ara-san… They will d-do ho-ho-rrible things to you, even if you aa-rre a girl. Because they are popular and probably the richest in this school, nobody will stop them."

She was right. The people in the higher castes of society definitely had standing in their own school. Her thoughts flew back to the incident with Gaara in the canteen minutes ago. Did Hinata mention Gaara's name? Yes! She did. Did she mention horrible things too? Sakura groaned inwardly, her eyes clouded with anxiety. She glanced at the table beside her. No, she was not such an unlucky person. There would never be such a coincidence for her. Sakura turned away from the table, refusing to think about what her mind was telling her about the person who might be sitting beside her.

A sharp knock on the classroom door took Sakura back to reality. The door opened and a tall red head entered the classroom. "I dirtied my shirt. Went to get a new one," a familiar cold voice spoke.

Sakura sank into her seat, trying to hide herself. The pathetic attempt was, of course, futile. The red head turned and walked towards Sakura, who was already looking down onto her table and crossing her fingers. _Not beside me please!_

She forgot about her characteristic pink hair.

Gaara's footsteps stopped halfway to his seat. "You!" Gaara roared. Sakura jumped, not daring to look up.

"Look at me!" Gaara shouted again, irate.

Sakura did not budge. "How dare you…" Gaara continued. Suddenly, Sakura rose from her seat, bowed deeply, and began saying in the most sincere and apologetic voice she could muster, "I am SO sorry for what happened during lunch. It was an accident. I did not know why I ran away. Please forgive me. I am so so so sorry."

There was silence from the class.

"…"

Sakura looked up and saw Gaara raising an eyebrow in bewilderment. She saw him grabbing an arm of another male student for god-knows-why and her eyes widened in realization that she gave herself away when she was trying to hide herself. His hostility was geared towards that male student! Sakura could feel her face flush with embarrassment.

"Great job, newbie," she chided herself inwardly when Gaara recognised her immediately.

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A/N: Ahhh. I finally got this chapter done. Changed some stuff about what happened during Sakura's first day of school. Hope you guys like this better!

Now, review! Let's ignore the previous 300 reviews. They are not counted. T.T


	3. Chapter 2: Ecchi Schoolgirl Part 1

**Title: The Pretty Substitute's Secret**

**Author: BlackSMILES**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I own the plot of this fic!

A/N: If you people noticed, I changed Sakura's personality in this rewritten version. Sakura was rasher and somewhat braver in the first version. Now she's a little timid. And I hope Gaara seems crueler, instead of just being fierce. T.T

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Chapter Two- Ecchi Schoolgirl (Part 1) 

Gaara stared at that pink-haired nerd who stood up so abruptly. Both of them had red faces, but from different reasons. Gaara was boiling with unappeased anger, while Sakura's face burned due to embarrassment and an impending sense of doom.

Yes. She would be doomed soon. Gaara let go of- more like flung away- the arm of the poor boy he was openly bullying right in front of a teacher. She peeked at Kakashi-sensei who stopped teaching and began to watch the interesting spectacle unfolding before his eyes (correction: eye). This made her had an itching feeling of hitting her new teacher.

Gaara literally stalked to her like a lion approaching a cornered prey. Yes. That was the situation Sakura was in- cornered with no way to escape anymore. The whole class was quiet, but the atmosphere was tense with anticipation. Those cold-blooded heartless brats actually did not bother to help her at all. Surely someone had the power to stop Gaara. Sakura could feel her gaze land on everyone's eyes, and they all successfully managed to avoid hers. She looked pleadingly at Hinata, who flushed and shook her head back at her.

Sakura felt lonely somehow. She did expect Hinata to say something to protect her, or hold her hand under their joined tables (they sit in pairs) to give her some moral support without the scrutiny of her classmates. She felt as if she was about to cry with panic and loneliness.

Gaara walked and stopped just beside her. Sakura flinched at his sudden stop in movement. Something must be coming her way soon. A slap, a punch or a kick? She braced herself for an injury, shutting her eyes.

There was nothing. Nothing hit her face or any part of her body. Gaara merely sat down on the empty seat beside her. Lucky girl, she thought, to have someone she offended on the first day of school beside her. AND that SOMEONE had to be a merciless kind of guy. Sakura opened her eyes when she heard the rough scratching sound of chair being pulled against the ground. That fearsome lion did not do anything to her? Weird. Timidly, she peeked at Gaara from the corners of her eyes and gulped. Etched on Gaara's face was a cold smirk which seemed to only convey one message: You are so dead.

The tension in the class seemed to ease a bit when Gaara did nothing. A few boys sighed in disappointment while Hinata sighed with relief. Sakura glanced at Hinata, not blaming Hinata for her mood swings previously. Hinata was someone she met just a couple of minutes ago. No one would bravely help and protect a mere acquaintance.

"S-sorry Sakura-chan, I-I couldn't h-help," Hinata stuttered, remorseful.

Sakura tried to smile, but her smile ended up bitter.

She tried paying attention to class. Kakashi had begun teaching again, as though nothing had happened at all. She saw Neji turning slightly to her and giving her the same smirk Gaara had given her minutes ago. She trembled slightly in her seat. Gaara was still studying her nerdy self with his aquamarine eyes. She could feel it in her bones. Letting a curtain of roseate hair slide down the side of her face, she tried to cover herself from Gaara's strong gaze.

The rest of the day passed quickly for Sakura, with her paying almost NO attention to the lessons due to her uneasiness and the killing aura Gaara exuded every second. Other than that, she could say she was pretty safe for the day.

The only mishap that happened to her was someone, she was sure, intentionally tripped her when she was on her way to the lockers.

"Ow!" Sakura exclaimed in pain when her knee hit the hard marble floor suddenly and her textbooks flew out of her hands, landing somewhere near her. She looked up but everything was a mass of blur. People walking in the hallways were pretending to be oblivious from the racket she caused and continued with their lives as though she did not exist. No one came to help. Some tears welled up in Sakura's emerald green eyes as she felt around for her black rimmed glasses in vain.

She was alone, with Hinata or without, as long as she was in this school.

A loud ring from her handphone snapped her away from her depressing thoughts. Following the sound of her phone, she rummaged her bag and found it rather quickly. Pressing a green button to accept the call, she put the phone against her ear.

"Sakura-chan. Director Aoi's assistant here. I have something to pass to you which can help you in tomorrow's job. Could you meet me at the entrance of your school?" A gentle voice spoke through the phone.

"Hm, ok. See you there in ten minutes," Sakura replied and ended the call.

She continued searching the ground for her glasses futilely. It was a few minutes later when someone handed a pair of glasses into one of her searching hands. The person was a mass of black to Sakura, but she still smiled gratefully at the first Good Samaritan she had met in school. Although the stranger's hand was large and cold, it warmed her. She hurriedly put on her glasses to see the person who helped her, but the person was gone before she could take a good look at him.

Sakura sighed in disappointment. Her only clue was a black blur and large hands, which could mean that person was a male with dark coloured hair. Did everyone want to avoid her so much?

A pink-haired girl was seen rushing to the gates of Konoha Gakuen and meeting a voluptuous woman who handed her a paper bag which contained various things that should not be seen by other people in the country.

"This is something which can help you. Be sure to see it! Director Aoi said it'll help you managed the scenes better when you obtain more experience. This thing is not hard-core at all, but it is still hot stuff," the woman said and winked naughtily and suddenly Sakura felt like throwing the bag away. Of course, Sakura had an inkling of the contents of the bag. Adult Videos, Sakura grimaced inwardly. Even though she was of age, she still blushed whenever she did the scenes or even watched couples on big screen kiss. Adult Videos might just melt her from the embarrassment.

"Thank you, Mika-san," Sakura said, not really meaning it.

Sakura bided farewell to Mika and held on to the braided strings of the bag as though it was her dirty secret. It WAS her dirty secret. How could she ever let someone in her school know she was watching ecchi videos?

She walked to her bicycle and unlocked the chains securing it. Hurriedly, she left the school grounds with the black bag hanging precariously on the handle of her bicycle.

When Sakura reached the apartment complex, her current sanctuary, she finally heaved a sigh of relief which made her realise how tensed up she was for the whole day in school. She returned the landlady the bento box and thanked her profusely, skipping the part about wasting the lunch. She felt guilty and knew she should not bother the landlady with her own minor problems. She was really grateful. No one had ever shown her this much compassion and love since her parents died. She had no home, really. The so-called home she lived in was rented.

Opening the door of her apartment, she was met with the stillness she hated so much. In school, she felt alone. At home, she felt that too. There was no one else for her.

"I am home!" Sakura said with mock cheerfulness to the photo frame at the side of her futon. It was a picture of her mother and her father, their wedding photo. Looking at the beautiful woman and handsome man smile blissfully in the picture, she could feel the tears that had been accumulating fall, dropping onto the glass covering the photograph of her parents, blurring their smiles. She laid down on her futon and hugged the picture to her chest, wishing it could cover the hole in her heart.

The landlady's sharp voice calling her name broke Sakura's sobs. Sakura wiped her tears away and stood up from her futon. She opened the door.

"Yes? Obasan?" Sakura asked wearily.

"Don't call me an Obasan! Call me by my name, Yuki! We have a new tenant today! His name is Uzumaki Naruto, just living beside you. Why don't you come out and say hello?" Yuki chirped in a sing-song voice.

Sakura's jade eyes widened at the familiarity of the name Yuki has just mentioned. Uzumaki Naruto, her first and longtime crush…

"_Naruto-kun, I miss Daddy and Mummy so much that it hurts," an eight year old Sakura said, clutching a tiny hand to her chest, tears continuing streaming down her already tear streaked cheeks _

"_If it hurts, I'll be there to soothe your pain," the blonde boy said, holding out a tiny daisy he had plucked from the roadside to the crying girl. _

"_Where's your mummy and daddy? Are they gone too?" Sakura enquired, taking the flower in her hands with utmost gentleness, afraid to crush the flower. _

_Naruto nodded sadly. "But we have each other! We will stay together," He said, a good-natured smile lighting up his face. He took a blue checkered handkerchief and wiped the snot and tears off Sakura's face. _

"_Forever?" Sakura asked hesitantly, stroking the wilting daisy in her hands._

"_Forever," Naruto replied confidently._

"_Promise?" She held up her pinky, a slow breeze starting, swaying the two little ponytails on her hair along. _

"_Promise," and her childhood friend put up his own pinky to link with hers. _

Sakura smiled slightly as she indulged in reminiscence of her fondest childhood memories. She could feel her heart pound in anticipation of seeing someone who knew, loved and cared for her in such a depressing situation. Then she realised, she was nervous. Would he forget their promise, their childish naïve love and perhaps even her?

Yuki then pushed a lanky boy into Sakura's apartment. She looked at her childhood friend carefully, pleasantly surprised at how he had grown taller and his shoulders broader. His bright sunny smile still remained, as though he was still Sakura's sun, lighting up her life. He had grown to look more rugged and tanned, and more like a man. She recognized his characteristic blonde hair and azure eyes immediately.

"Haruno Sakura?" A boyish and recognizable voice asked, a bigger smile growing on Sakura's face almost immediately. He remembered her!

"So you both know each other!" Yuki exclaimed, relieved to skip the formalities to introduce both the adolescences to each other.

"Why did you move here from Osaka?" Sakura asked. Did he come to Tokyo to see her? And to fulfill his promise?

He smiled proudly and said, "I am going to live near my girlfriend. She stays around here. Do you have a boyfriend too?"

_Girlfriend. _

Mechanically, Sakura shook her head. She could feel her lifted spirits drop to a point lower than it was before. She forced a smile, who was teasingly smug about him being attached faster than her.

"That's good," was all Sakura managed to say without her voice breaking. Her chest ached dully while she smiled at Naruto.

"Let's talk more tomorrow. I am tired from moving stuff here and there," Naruto stuck a tongue out and winked at Sakura. She smiled, trying not to break her cheerful façade built to hide her true reactions.

When Yuki and Naruto left, Sakura leaned on the wooden door and slid down to the cool tiled ground. The tears started flowing again. Her heart ached with another hole. Even Naruto had left her with a broken promise. He could never be with her again, holding out a daisy and wiping her wet eyes with his handkerchief. She missed the old him who would never make her cry.

She spent the night lying on her futon, depressed, soaking her pillow while holding her parent's photograph and a pressed flower bookmark containing a browned daisy to her chest.

The next day came quickly and Sakura had absolutely no desire to go to that dreaded Konoha Gakuen she was supposed to 'belong' to. She did her daily routine of cleaning up in the morning. She was about to leave the apartment when a black paper bag caught her gaze.

DANG it. She was supposed to watch that ecchi video the previous day but Naruto's hurtful revelation made her forget about everything else.

Grabbing the video out from the paper bag, Sakura stuffed it into her black haversack and zipped it up. She unlocked the lock of her door and flung herself out of the apartment, hurriedly leaving.

"Sakura-chan!" A voice she used to love called her. The same voice which brought her despair and tears. She halted and turned away, pushing a small smile to her lips. "Good morning, Naruto-kun!" Her eyes were puffy, but Naruto was too inobservant to notice the eyes that were hidden by a pair of black rimmed glasses.

"Woooah, Konoha Gakuen!" Naruto appraised enviously, looking at her uniform.

"I am not rich and you know it. I got a scholarship," Sakura said truthfully.

"I can guess," Naruto said straightforwardly, reminding Sakura of the reason why she was an outcast in school again. Sakura looked down to the ground, cheerless.

"…" There was awkwardness between the pair and it was not long that Naruto finally realized he was a little too blunt with his words.

"Ahh. Sorry about what I said previously… Hey! You know what? My girlfriend's in the same school as you! Maybe you know her!" Naruto said optimistically, trying to change the mood between them.

"Really? Who?" Sakura's eyes immediately widened with interest. She was interested to know which girl had the power to take _her_ Naruto away from her. Was the girl better than her? If yes, in what way? It would probably be looks anyway, since Sakura knew she was not some big beauty with her nerdish appearance.

"Hyuuga Hinata," Naruto replied, blushing slightly while Sakura visibly paled. She struggled not to let the confusion and anguish show on her face. Why Hinata? Why not someone she did not know at all? Why her only friend in Konoha Gakuen? Sakura could feel her face heat up and her eyes fill up as she said, "she sits beside me," and Naruto gave a yelp of joy from the coincidence.

She hastily bid goodbye to her first crush and left the complex, swallowing her tears and all and cycling to Konoha Gakuen.

* * *

A long and arduous day had begun for Haruno Sakura again, alone in school and trying to avoid her newest friend because seeing Hinata reminded her of her supposed "joyful" reunion with Naruto and made her want to cry again. It was not easy to stay civil at Hinata and the slightest things could start Sakura snapping at the poor girl. 

"Did you just open my textbook?" Sakura asked, trying to keep her voice even.

"Ye-es. I f-forgot to bring m-mine," Hinata stuttered, afraid Sakura would flare once more that day.

"Every time I open my book, I do it with care! Don't you think you should do it too? This book is not yours! I hate the creases on the spines of books the most! I use my hard-earned money to buy my textbooks, but you used your parents' money! Of course you won't understand how I feel," Sakura ranted, aggravated.

"S-sorry, Sakura-chan," Hinata whimpered, the rims of her pearl-coloured eyes turning red.

Sakura felt guilty all of the sudden. She was bullying Hinata for reasons the shy and sweet girl did not know. She felt like a villain, like a girl consumed by jealousy plotting against the good-natured female lead in a coming-of-age film. But still, she did not want to apologise for her silly outbursts.

"Don't do it again," Sakura said simply.

Sakura turned away, refusing not to look at Hinata anymore. However she did not know Neji was observing her intently, displeased at her daring acts of insolence to his beloved cousin.

The school bell rang finally. Relieved that she did not need to face Hinata anymore, Sakura packed her things quickly. In the midst of putting her cheap pens into her D-I-Y pencil case, Sakura heard Hinata's cell phone ring. Her ears perked up when she heard Naruto's name.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Ah, I know her."

"She's quite a n-nice person."

"D-don't worry about me."

Her chest hurts like someone had just punched her. It pained her to know Naruto cared about someone more than he cared for her. She stuffed her pencil case roughly into her bag and zipped it up too quickly, hurting her finger in the process.

"Ow!" Sakura shouted suddenly.

"Ah, Sakura-chan! A-are you alright?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"I'm alright," Sakura replied coolly, when she wanted to reply, "I don't need your concern."

Quickly, she swung her bag to her shoulder and left the classroom, leaving Hinata still talking on the phone to her boyfriend. She hated the fact that Hinata was so gentle and gracious. She hated Hinata for forgiving her and telling Naruto she was nice.

She would rather be hated.

_Haruno Sakura, 18 years old, heartbroken._

Sakura walked to an empty classroom with a laptop on the teacher's desk and locked the door of the classroom. It was Chemistry lab, with rows of chemicals on the shelves and racks filled with well-used pipettes and burettes. She settled herself on a chair and pulled out the ecchi video she had brought. There was NO WAY she would watch this in her apartment, especially with Naruto moving in next to her.

"Geisha's one night stand" Sakura snorted at the cheesy title and slotted the VCD into the laptop.

Loud moans and soft whimpers emanated from the speakers of the laptop as Sakura watched the screen of the laptop, her expression of absolute concentration. A woman in a ripped yukata writhed underneath the heated body of the middle-aged male lead. Sakura grimaced. It was nice that her role would be being a geisha and she could wear a pretty kimono. However, the thought of her kissing a middle-aged and potbellied man made her shudder.

No way was that going to happen… How could a movie about Ino making love with some random middle-aged man be popular? Sakura assured herself.

The woman on the screen climaxed in a matter of minutes and she let out scream sounding like a beaten horse, earning another snort from Sakura. What a cheesy movie despite its explicit scenes, Sakura thought to herself, wondering whether it would actually help her. The director probably wanted to find an excuse pollute her mind, she sulked.

A cold yet familiar voice rang out in the room, sending vibrations to her eardrums.

"Enjoying yourself? My dear transfer student…"

Sakura froze at the sound of the voice. Someone discovered her! She would be expelled! She hastily turned her head to the source of the voice to find the three devils Hinata had told her about during her first day of school… Neji, Sasuke and Gaara.

To Be Continued…

* * *

A/N: Somehow I had a writer's block sorta thing and I COULD NOT THINK OF a nice scene for childhood Naruto and Sakura AND used a horrible excuse of a textbook for Sakura to snap poor Hina-chan. T.T Could not think of big words to use too. ARGH. I suck. I should read more to get my inspiration back. 

AHH. Gave Naruto a bigger role this time. 3

I didn't edit this at all. SO PARDON ME FOR THE MISTAKES

Please review.


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